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Some question number of monuments for vets

By Michael Hartwell, mhartwell@sentinelandenterprise.com

Updated:
03/17/2013 06:32:16 AM EDT

WESTMINSTER -- With the strong desire to express grief and pay respects to fallen military veterans, communities often construct monuments and name public places after the departed, but some town officials say there comes a point when they have to say "no."

Last year, the city of Lowell passed an ordinance restricting who could have squares named after them. Qualified veterans include those who received honors like the Congressional Medal of Honor, Silver Star or those killed in action. Supporters said the city is running out of squares and there wouldn't be any left to honor future veterans.

On May 2, 2007, Westminster native First Lt. Ryan Patrick Jones was killed in Iraq when his vehicle struck a roadside bomb. His parents Kevin and Elaine Jones started a foundation in his name using all of his military life insurance. They also had a bridge, road and the Westminster post office named for him. The town turned down their requests to have a ballpark and a memorial plaque at the library.

"All these post offices in Massachusetts were being named for boys who were dying and I thought why not Ryan," said Elaine Jones. She said they have given about $185,000 to the region through Ryan's foundation, including 70 scholarships, donations to veterans charities, Rotary Club donations, Lions Club donations and a free Thanksgiving dinner each year for seniors and veterans.

In 2011, the Jones family had 10 stone benches with his name built but could not reach an agreement with the town on where to put them.

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A new committee was formed to evaluate monument requests and its members did not want to have any new structures on the town common. But, the Jones family was unwilling to place them anywhere else. Some of the benches are now displayed on private property along Main Street and one is in a student memorial at Worcester Polytechnic Institute where he was a student.

Laurie Tarr Ellsworth is a member of the Westminster Memorial Committee and the Historical Commission. She produced a letter from 1901 saying Westminster's town common is supposed to remain open space and offered to have the benches placed in other public space. She said it was extremely difficult to say no, but it was in the best interest of the town.

"You can't speak out against it because you look unpatriotic," said Ellsworth. She said no one wants to criticize a family that lost their son, but it's not fair to name so many things in town for one veteran.

Jones said she received an anonymous letter from someone in town that said she's not the only one to lose a family member.

"I loved my son, I still love my son, and if I could have his name on every building in town I'd do it," she said.

Memorial Committee member Mike Fortin said he can relate to the Jones family. His brother drowned when he was younger and people in town started a fund to buy an ambulance, even though he said it wouldn't have made a difference if one had been in town that day. "They were collecting money for him that afternoon, but it wasn't going to bring him back," said Fortin. He said he'd like to see the town wait at least a year, ideally five years, after a person's death before dedicating a memorial.

Fortin and Ellsworth stressed that they don't like being in the position to deny things to a grieving family, but stand by the committee's decision to limit memorial requests. "How much is enough? There is no answer to that," said Fortin.

"When a memorial is placed, there are ongoing costs to maintain it," Fortin added.

The town has several older monuments dedicated to all of those who died fighting in different wars, but none of them are named for specific people.

Fortin acknowledged the town did a poor job of communicating the entire process with the benches to the Jones family.

Jones said the family is looking into building an additional monument named for their son that is also dedicated to all of those who died from Massachusetts in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Last month Leominster dedicated its newest memorial, the PFC Johnny Ro Veterans Memorial Park. It is named after Army Private Jonathan R. Roberge of Leominster who was killed by an explosive device while driving a Humvee on Feb. 9, 2009 in Iraq.

The park is in memory of the 140 combat veterans from Massachusetts killed in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. Leominster's Director of Veterans Services Rick Voutour said they couldn't name the monument something more general because the state is planning to build one in Boston and they can't sound linked.

The town has monuments for the fallen from each war, with nearly 200 veterans from Leominster in total represented. Voutour said the shift to focusing on someone like Roberge individually is to be expected by changes in the wars.

There are now 13 things in town named for Jonathan Roberge, including the park, a street, a bridge and a baseball scoreboard. His father John Roberge said his family didn't ask for any of them but is excited to see them.

"People in the community put them in motion," he said.

Stephen Twining of Fitchburg is a member of the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War and campaigns to give more attention to Civil War veterans. He has mixed feelings about dedicating multiple things to individual veterans.

"Why do you do that for the one person and not the other?" he asked. He wants Fitchburg to honor Civil War veteran Orlando Boss, who received the Congressional Medal of Honor for valor for rescuing his wounded lieutenant under heavy fire in Cold Harbor, Va. in 1864.

Twining said heroes like Boss deserve additional recognition, but he doesn't want to minimize the sacrifice all veterans have made for their country.

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